Fire in textile factory in Bangladesh: 5 people killed

A fire broke out at a textiles factory outside the Bangladeshi capital early Thursday, killing at least five people and injuring several others, a fire official said.

Photo: Fire in textile factory in Bangladesh: 5 people killed

The fire occurred at Shamim Textiles Mills in Shafipur town, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of Dhaka, fire official Abdus Salam told The Associated Press. Rescuers pulled out five charred bodies from the debris, he said.

Several injured people, including a firefighter, were taken to a hospital, the official said.

United News of Bangladesh, a private news agency, put the death toll at seven and said more bodies were feared trapped in the debris.

Nearly 500 people were working at the factory when the fire broke out, UNB said, quoting unnamed witnesses.

The fire official said dozens of firefighters, backed by 12 vehicles, took at least five hours to bring the blaze under control. He said it was not immediately known how the fire started, reports the AP.

I.L.